Manchester United have suffered a setback in their quest to bring Unai Emery to Old Trafford as a possible replacement for Michael Carrick, after the Aston Villa manager’s “dream” came to light.
TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Graeme Bailey reports that Manchester United have Unai Emery high on their managers’ list.
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Manchester United’s director of football Jason Wilcox admires Emery, who won the Europa League with Villa last season and has also made the Villans regular participants in the Champions League. “Sources close to Old Trafford management have confirmed that Emery was among the managers United carried out background checks on last season while carrying out due diligence on potential alternatives to Carrick.
“The Villa manager remains highly regarded by sporting director Jason Wilcox, who has the full support of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and reportedly admires the work Emery has done since arriving at Villa Park.
“But while Emery’s name carries significant weight within United, securing his services would make any transfer extremely difficult, especially in the middle of the season.”
Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday has put further pressure on Carrick, although we understand that the Red Devils’ co-owners, INEOS, still support the manager. Sky Sports reports that Emery “remains dedicated to the project at Aston Villa” and that the former Arsenal boss has no plans to swap Villa Park for Old Trafford mid-season.
Now it has emerged that Villa have no plans whatsoever to let Emery go to Man Utd anytime soon.
According to The Athletic, Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris threatened to sue former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher over his comments about Emery to Man Utd, in order to make it crystal clear to the Red Devils that the Spaniard will not be leaving the club.
The reliable publication has also claimed that Emery dreams of winning the Champions League with Aston Villa.
“Emery, on the other hand, is happy at Villa, with his managerial dream of winning the Champions League.”
The report added: “Some believe the real reason behind Sawiris’ actions, according to sources close to him, was to deliberately prevent Manchester United from turning their admiration for Emery into something more concrete.
“The club, which is 17th in the Premier League table and only outside the relegation zone on goal difference, values the Villa manager highly and has expressed interest in the past.
“Villa and Sawiris long for Emery to create a dynasty, beyond his current contract terms – which runs until 2029.”
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